Cannes 2012: Mallika Sherawat…uh…um…er…!

At her last Cannes’ appearance, Mallika Sherawat wore a snake. This time, she showed up in a backless and sideless (to put it mildly) nude gown that left nothing to the imagination. Can’t figure out which was a better look!

Mallika Sherawat at the Cannes premiere of Madagascar 3

Opinions across the blogosphere are varied about this gown from Paris-based designer Ali Mahdavi. Some have called it “too tame” (no judgement here but really?) while others are criticising the critics for not liking the fact that an Indian woman is dressed in a revealing gown, given our cultural attitudes to public nudity.

I definitely do not like this dress on Mallika. And it has nothing to do with my “cultural legacy”. I still wouldn’t have liked it if Angelina Jolie had shimmied in it across the red carpet. Except that Angelina would clearly never wear a concoction that has so many fashion faux pas on display.

First, Mallika’s gown dips excruciatingly low – a backless gown needs to sit above the tail bone, covering the hips. Not two inches below it, exposing things that should not be revealed in any kind of culture.

Secondly, wearing both backless and sideless at the same time? Really, Mallika? The Bollywood actress tweeted that the gown was custom-fitted and literally stitched onto her body before the appearance. In that case, maybe the fitters should have been more careful about the fact that Ms. Sherawat’s bosom is completely spilling out of the sides – and not in a sultry, sexy way. Want pointers, Mallika? See how someone like Ms. Jolie carries off the look:

Moving past the dress, what worries me the most is what Mallika has done with her makeup. At a time when most celebs are channelling the natural, polished look, she chose the OTT winged-eyeliner-and-bouffant-hairdo vibe straight from the ’70s.

Mallika has been on record about her “being open to Hollywood roles”. I wouldn’t hold my breath! What do you think?

In the meantime, go through this gallery to see how the world’s most stylish women actually pull off a backless dress!

Comments

I think you are to uptight , she looks fabulous,really glaourus, a real golden age hollywood beauty, the travis benton inspiration is very clear, and also this dress is an hommage to Mireille Darc iconic dress in “le grand blond avec une chaussure noire) made in the sixties. I conclued then that 40 years later we are back in a moralistic retrograde state of mind and in the past mister Yves st Laurent hade made quite similar daring dresses, plus you are expecting her to wear nude make up, so in fact you criticise the fact that she s not a sheep, that she have personalaty and she doesnt fallow trends like a robot. I ctually think that it s so fra the best red carpet appearence in cannes this season, and all the other actresses who get paid by designer to wear there creations look so boring compare to her. I think she s very clever to go in that direction and the press covering and hommage are spectacular. best regards. Iradj

Hi Iradj, that’s why I love fashion and beauty so much – because they are both so subjective! I guess no two people will have the same opinion on everything. What’s important is that Mallika made enough of an impact to bring two people – you and me – who don’t know each other at all, into the same orbit. And therein lies her true power, which is obviously very, very global 🙂 Pls do keep writing in!